After breaking a fan’s phone, Jason Kelce broke his silence on the incident.
Kelce went viral on social media this weekend after he was seen grabbing a heckler’s phone and smashing it on the ground after the fan had called Jason’s brother Travis a homophobic slur for dating pop superstar Taylor Swift.
The retired Philadelphia Eagles centre who is now a TV analyst had not commented on the incident until his appearance on ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown before Travis’ Kansas City Chiefs faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
At the top of the show, Kelce addressed the situation and expressed regrets, but did not outright apologize for his actions.
“I think everybody’s seen on social media the thing that took place this week. Listen, I’m not happy with anything that took place. I’m not proud of it,” he said at the beginning of the show.
“In a heated moment, I chose to greet hate with hate, and I just don’t think that that’s a productive thing. I really don’t. I don’t think it leads to discourse and it’s the right way to go about things, and in that moment I fell down to a level that I shouldn’t have.
“I think, the bottom line is, I try to live my life by the Golden Rule. It’s what I’ve always been taught. I try to treat people with common decency and respect, and I’m going to keep doing that moving forward even though I fell short this week.”
Jason was in University Park, Pa., on Saturday to make an appearance on ESPN’s College Gameday show, but things got a little heated while he was walking around outside Beaver Stadium, the home of the Penn State Nittany Lions.
As the former all-pro centre was walking while carrying a case of beer, the students and fans noticed him and proceeded to cheer and scream to get his attention.
But one fan took things too far, making a derogatory comment about Travis Kelce and his relationship with Swift.
WARNING: Language
“Kelce how does it feel that your brother is a f***** for dating Taylor Swift?” the fan is heard saying.
Jason quickly turns around to find the person who uttered the slur – a man holding his phone to record the incident.
Kelce then grabbed the phone out of his hand and hurled it at the ground, making a loud smashing noise. Kelce then picked up the destroyed phone and took it with him as he walked off as the fan followed, saying “give me my phone.”
Kelce, in the video acquired by TMZ, replied, saying “Who’s the f** now?”
WARNING: Strong language
Fans around the incident gasped and looked on in stunned silence.
According to the New York Post, Penn State Police and Public Safety are investigating the incident between Kelce and the unidentified fan and the “process is ongoing,” a university spokesperson told the outlet.
The university police’s daily crime log for that day listed an incident where an “officer observed a visitor damaging personal property” at Curtin Road and Commuter Drive, which is outside Beaver Stadium.
The crime log listed the possible offences as criminal mischief and disorderly conduct.